Tall Tales and True Tales
by Summer Leigh Wind
Summary: Rome had a brother once. That is, he had one until "it" stole him away.


_**Tall Tales and True Tales**_

* * *

"Remus!" Romulus cried into the forest. It was getting late and Lupa would worry if they didn't return to her soon. Staring into the foreboding shadows that filled the spaces between the branches, Romulus called once more "Remus! Where are you?!" Eyes darting about the trees for any movement, he feels terror spike in his heart and tears prick at his eyes.

He's going to have to _go into the forest_! Weeping quietly at the thought, Romulus made to take that first step when-

"Rawr!"

The brunette fell back with a shriek. Brown eyes having gone wide, the child was forced to lift his face to gaze into the wild eyes of his twin. Letting out a sob of relief, the young boy launched into his brother; wrapping his arms around his thighs. He didn't have to go into the woods. Remus was safe and here with him. All would be well.

"C'mon Rom, stop crying like a girl!" Remus huffed patting his brother's head firmly. "How are we ever going to have a strong nation if you blubber like that every time I jump out like that?"

Letting his tears be absorbed by the coarse material of his twin's tunic. "'m not crying 'cause you jumped out," he argued. "I'm crying 'cause I'm _relieved!_"

The other child huffed. "Relieved about what?" He inquired as he twisted his fingers not quite nicely in Romulus's hair.

"That I didn't have to go into the woods," the kneeling boy whispered.

Scoffing at the remark, Remus pulled away from his brother. "You and the woods! It's not scary! There's all sorts of cool things in there!" He declared waving his arms about.

The young brunette had to disagree. "It feels funny," he mumbled unhappily.

"_You _feel funny!" Remus countered childishly. Grabbing his brother up by his hand, he said "Let's go home to Lupa now!"

Romulus was quick to scramble up and follow after his twin; only casting a single frightened look back.

(He swore he saw something among the trees).

* * *

Shivering in front of the dancing flames, Rome did his best not to look away from the flames. A stick snapped and the man nearly dove into the fire at the sound.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this jumpy," Germania muttered as he approached with a small stack of sticks in his hands.

Rubbing at his arms in attempt to ward off goose-pimples, the empire sent his neighboring nation a nervous smile. "I'm not used to the forest is all," he waved off.

The stern man grunted and began to shove sticks into the orange embers. "It's unfortunate we got lost earlier," he commented.

Rome had to agree. Sending an uneasy look around their clearing, he shrank into himself further; "A real tragedy." He agreed.

The blond's gaze rested on him for a long moment; after, he nodded. "Yes," he murmured. "You are correct."

* * *

"I met this really weird thing in the woods today!" Remus confided in Romulus as they lay back in the thick grass to gaze up at the night sky.

A sweat working itself up on the nape of his neck, the twin met identical brown eyes. "Yeah?" He prompted.

His brother smiled. "Yeah! It was _super _weird lookin'!" Gesturing his arms, he explained "It was _waaay _tall and it had so many arms!" Pleased that he's obviously captivated his twin with this little information, Remus continued in a hushed, conspiratorial tone "The _strangest _part, though, was _it had no face_!"

Romulus couldn't help the way he squeaked or how he instinctively reached out to seek comfort from his brother. "That sounds _scary_!" He whimpered.

His fellow brunette laughed and patted his back. "You're just jumpy Rom! If you met it you'd think it was fascinating too!"

The boy highly doubted this, but he kept it to himself. Averting his eyes, he let his face be half-muffled by the scratchy wool of his twin's tunic and lied "Maybe."

His wild brother-gentle for once-leaned in and kissed his hair affectionately. "Just you wait, Rom," he swore. "I'll show it to you and you'll think it's just as great I do!" Curling into the bit of comfort given, Romulus said no more and planned out his avoidance tactics for the next few days.

He wasn't going into the woods. Not ever.

* * *

Belly warmed by the alcohol Germania had supplied him with, Rome felt daring enough to let his eyes meander the forest's edge. Shadows dance between the branches and the moon illuminates things with white light. It made him shiver. It was easy for it to mask itself in these conditions.

Letting his eyes fall to the fire once more, he barely noted the way Germania watched him. Tossing back the rest of the flask, Rome leaned over a knee and sighed. A gust of wind whistled through the clearing causing the flames to flounce and in that breath, Rome could here him.

_"C'mon Rom, come with me!_"

Curling around his knees more tightly, the man blurted; "I had a twin once."

The blond paused mid-stretch and flicked his gaze to the brunette. "Oh?" He half-prompted, half-acknowledged.

"He's dead now," Rome whispered; brow furrowing, he corrected himself. "Or at least I think he is."

There was a measured silence before his fellow nation mumbled "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be," Rome disagreed. "It was better he died when he did...or I might have had to kill him in the future."

The other man perked up. "Those stories..."

"I made them up for my people to pass down-well, not the gods. They belonged to Greece and my people adopted them, the creation of Rome though..." He sent the blond a deprecating smile. "I couldn't just let my brother be forgotten by _everyone_. He _mattered_!"

In rare show, Germania put a soothing hand on the brunette's wrist. "Family always matters," he asserted.

Rome was deliriously grateful. Someone understood. Scooting closer; he begged "Will you keep your eyes open? Watch for it?"

"It?" He murmured.

All that adrenaline long gone, the Empire was exhausted as his head drifted into the Germanic man's lap. "Yeah, the thing that got Remus..." Before he could be made to give an answer further, he was asleep; leaving Germania to puzzle out his odd words.

* * *

It was the evening again. Remus had slipped away somewhere around lunch to play in the woods again as Romulus followed Pecker's directions as to where to find food. The boy didn't begrudge his brother though, he would have run off too if he could have. But someone had to be responsible and that wasn't Remus. Remus was the wild one, the daring one; Romulus-Romulus followed orders.

Picking up sticks along the wood's edge even as he attempted to ignore its existence, the child counted his bundle;

"One," grabbing another with his barefoot, he muttered; "Two and three," snapping up the slim one next he continued; "Four..."

A scream filled the evening air. Eyes shooting to the forest, Romulus knows it's Remus. Who else could scream like that? But...but it sounded so very scared. Knees knocking together, the child swallowed back his fear and raced into the woods-not caring about the watching shadows or the thorns catching at him as he runs.

"Remus! Remus!" The boy howled running and circling, where _was _his brother? Finally, as he darted into a particular clearing he saw something.

It was tall, mostly black, it had more arms than even a spider and in its hands-that's Remus's cloak! That's Remus's! But where was his brother? The being's head turned slightly and Romulus recoiled. It had no face. Too Terrified to stay, Romulus took a step back before spinning around and zooming out of the woods. He couldn't stay. What if that _thing _took him too?

Once safely out of the woods, he went to Lupa; smelling the terror on him, she licked his cheek.

He collapsed and buried his face into her fur. "Remus isn't comin' back tonight-not ever."

The she-wolf made a mournful noise and curled around him. Giving a shaky breath, Romulus laid there and tried not to think. Lupa would keep him safe, she wouldn't let it get him.

Romulus cried that night. And the next. His brother was gone and would never lay at his side again.

* * *

When Rome woke in the morning's light, Germania was there to ask;

"What killed your brother?"

The empire blinked. "Nothing killed my brother," he said. "He disappeared."

Stubborn, the blond countered "You said 'it' got him."

The brunette laughed. "I'm sorry, I must have drunk more than I thought!" Forcing a smile, he lied "Like I said, he disappeared-as all weak nations do!"

The other man huffed and turned his back on him. "Fine, whatever; let's get going."

"Right behind you!" Rome smiled and he was. Anything to get out of this dreaded woods.

* * *

**Because I had to. Slender Man is way too cool never ever to include in a fanfic. The Roman Empire just sorted worked best in the end...what do you guys think? Like it? Not like it? Let me know :)**

**Thank you for reading and please review!**

**Notes:**

**-There's a legend Rome was created by a pair of twins-Remus and Romulus; Remus died and the how is a bit debated.**

**-The twins were cared for by a she-wolf and woodpecker, I named the she-wolf Lupa and the woodpecker pecker. **

**-Slender Man is a supernatural being created by the internet basically. Further research can be conducted through google and youtube.**


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